Dewhurst Ad: The Liberal Tom Leppert

Michael Warren

May 25, 2012 3:26 PM

The Republican Senate primary in Texas has long been a battle between establishment favorite and lieutenant governor, David Dewhurst, and the conservative challenger, former solicitor general Ted Cruz. But Dewhurst, who has lead in the most recent polls ahead of the May 29 primary, has launched a last-minute ad campaign against former Dallas mayor Tom Leppert, who himself is running at a distant third. Watch the ad below, which tells voters that Leppert "might be running as a Republican, but he governs like a Democrat."

The Dewhurst campaign also recently launched a website targeting Leppert for his liberal streak. The goal appears to be to suppress the Leppert vote on Tuesday and give Dewhurst a larger percentage of the vote. If he reaches above 50 percent, he can avoid a runoff election in July, where Cruz is believed to have an edge. If the latest PPP poll--showing Dewhurst with 46 percent support to Cruz's 29 percent and Leppert's 15 percent--is accurate, Dewhurst might be able to pull it off.